Removal device

ABSTRACT

A wound clip removal device made in a single piece of plastics material and having jaws spaced apart to engage with the wound clip, a fulcrum between the jaws and a bow located on the opposite side of the fulcrum for opening the jaws further on compression of the bow.

U ited States Patent 1 .1191 Reed et a1.

[ June 18, 1974.

541 REMOVAL DEVICE [75] Inventors: David Arthur Reed; David FrederickWeston, both of Runcom, England [73] Assignee: Imperial ChemicalIndustries Limited, London, England [22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1972 [21] Appl.No.: 302,674

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 29, 1971 Great Britain60394/71 [52] US. Cl 72/392, 81/43, 128/354 [51] Int. Cl B2ld 41/02 [58]Field of Search 72/392, 409; 81/43, 3 R,

81/3 E; 29/203. H, 203 HC, 268, 235, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261,262, 263, 267,

1,748,765 2/1930 Hellermann 29/235 2,222,744 7 11/1940 Gallien 72/3922,477,446 7/1949 Farner 29/235 2,595,683 5/1952 LoMonte 81/43 2,943,5217/1960 Betton 81/43 3,265,068 8/1966 Holohan t 81/43 3,650,008 3/1972PlOuffe 29/268 3,677,112 7/1972 Keniston 81/43 Primary Examiner-CharlesW. Lanham Assistant Examiner-James R. Duzan Attorney, Agent, or FirmCushman, Darby & C ushman 5 7] ABSTRACT A wound clip removal devicemade in a single piece of plastics material and having jaws spaced apartto engage with the wound clip, a fulcrum between the jaws and a bowlocated on the opposite side of the fulcrum for opening the jaws furtheron compression of the bow.

,4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEmumwM 1817078 SHEET 2 [1F -2 REMOVALDEVICE This invention relates to a removal device and in particular itrelates to a device for removing wound closure clips from asubstantially healed wound.

In certain surgical procedures, a wound or incision may be closed byapplying a clip across the gathered edges of the wound. Such a clipusually consists of a bowed strip of metal, up to approximately 20 mm.long by 5 mm wide provided with inwardly directed prongs at each end,and this strip is bent across the gathered edges of the wound so thatthe prongs engage with, and retain in place, the edges of the wound. Theclip is left in place until substantial healing of the wound has takenplace and is then removed, for example by cutting the back of the clip.In one particular type of clip, known as a Clay-Adams clip, which isprovided with notches at the ends of the clip, removal'is effected byinserting the jaws of crossover tweezers into the notches and squeezingthe tweezers to pull the ends of the clip apart. Crossover tweezers mustbe rigid to apply the necessary force remote from the pivot point, andso are usually made of metal. They are relatively expensive to produce,and must be re-sterilised on each occassion before use.

The present invention is aimed at the production of a removal deviceforClay-Adams clips and similar clips having notches at the ends of theclips which is much cheaper to manufacture than crossover tweezers. Sucha device could be supplied in a sterile pack and be cheap enough todispose of after userather than resterilise. r

According to the invention there is provided a wound closure clipremoval device comprising a pair of jaws normally spaced apart andprovided with lips to engage with removal nothces on the ends of a woundclosure clip, a hinge or fulcrum located between the jaws, and anactuating bow, the ends of which are located on the opposite side of thehinge to the jaws such that compression of the bow causes the jaws toopen further; the whole device being constructed from a single piece ofplastics material.

By the term normally spaced apart" is meant that the jaws are in anopenposition when the bow is not stressed, that is when no compressionis applied to the how. The action of the device thus involves movementof the jaws from an open position to a wider open position rather thanto a closed position.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the actuating bow is composedof a pair of bowed sections joined together by a second hinge orfulcrum.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, twopreferred embodiments of the wound clip removal device will now bedescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of one embodiment of the removal device FIG. IIshows a vertical elevation of the device of FIG. I in the operatingposition FIG. III shows the jaw portion of the device of FIG. I incontact with a wound clip in the closed position FIG. IV shows the jawportion of the device in FIG. I in contact with a wound clip in theremoval position FIG. V shows a plan view of another embodiment of theremoval device and FIG. VI shows a vertical elevation of the device ofFIG. V.

The wound closure clip removal device of the invention comprises asingle pieceof plastics material (FIGS. I & V) which is shaped toprovide a pair of jaws l, movable about a hinge or fulcrum 2, and a bow,composed of a pair of bowed sections 3 joined together by a second hingeor fulcrum 4, in the same plane as the jaws 1 and fulcrum 2 which isjoined to the fulcrum 2 on the opposite side of the jaws l. The wholedevice is designed to be operated by one hand and is approximately 10-15cm. long by 1-2 cm. wide with the bow being 2-3 cm. across. The jaws lare spaced apart when the device is uncompressed, and the jaw heads areprovided with lips 5 which can engage with removal notches on the endsof a wound clip. In one preferred embodiment, these lips 5 are locatedat an angle of approximately to the axis of the device (FIG. II) and inthe second preferred embodiment,'they are located at 90 to the axis ofthe device (FIG. VI). The rigidity of the device about the fulcrum 2 isimproved by the provision of a pair of ridges 6 along the axis of thedevice and extending from each jaw head to near the maximum width of thebow along the outside of the device. Gripping surfaces 7 are provided onthe outer surface of the bowed sections 3 just beyond the ends of eachridge 6, and in one embodiment, a stop 8 is located on the inner surfaceof one of the bowed sections 3 at the point of maximum width.

In operation, when it is desired to remove a wound closure clip from asubstantially healed wound, the removal device is held in one hand withthe thumb and forefinger respectively on each gripping surface 7. Thelips 5 are then inserted into the removal notches 9 of the wound closureclip 10 (FIG. III). When the lips S i are located at an angle ofapproximately 45 to the axis of the device, the top of the clip 10 isclearly visible, and thus the insertion is made easier, but when .thelips 5 are located at 90 to the axis of the device, a greater force canbe applied to the clip. The bowed sections 3 V are then squeezed bypressure on the gripping surfaces 7 causing the jaws 1- to turn aboutthe fulcrum 2 to separate the jaw heads. As a consequence, the lips 5cause the removal notches 9 on the clip 10 to be pulled apart (FIG. IV)and the clip 10 is thereby released from the flesh (shown as a brokenline in FIGS. III and IV). The stop 8, when present, prevents the bowedsections 3 from being squeezed so far that they fracture.

The removal device of the invention may be made from any thermoplasticmaterial such as high density polyethylene, nylon, acetal,polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, with or without fillers, andpreferred materials are polypropylene, or filled. polypropylene,especially talc filled polypropylene, or nylon, of which the latter isespecially preferred. The device may be manufactured by any knowntechnique for the fabrica tion of articles in plastics material, butclearly one-shot injection moulding is a very suitable technique.

What we claim is: I

1. A wound closure clip removal device in a single piece of plasticmaterial comprising a. a pair of jaws normally spaced apart,

b. an integral lip on each jaw for engaging with a removal notch on theend of a wound closure clip,

c. an integral fulcrumlocated between said jaws, and

d. an integral actuating bow located with its ends on the opposite sideof said fulcrum to said jaws for material is polypropylene or nylon.

4. The removal device of claim 2 wherein the fulcrum is nearer the jawsthan the end of the bow and said jaw 5 members include re-inforcingridges.

1. A wound closure clip removal device in a single piece of plasticmaterial comprising a. a pair of jaws normally spaced apart, b. anintegral lip on each jaw for engaging with a removal notch on the end ofa wound closure clip, c. an integral fulcrum located between said jaws,and d. an integral actuating bow located with its ends on the oppositeside of said fulcrum to said jaws for opening said jaws further oncompression of said actuating bow.
 2. The removal device of claim 1 inwhiCh the actuating bow is composed of two bowed sections hingedtogether.
 3. The removal device of claim 1 in which the plasticsmaterial is polypropylene or nylon.
 4. The removal device of claim 2wherein the fulcrum is nearer the jaws than the end of the bow and saidjaw members include re-inforcing ridges.